Portability
The Lab Cradle fits into the palm of most high school students' hands when connected to the TI-Nspire™ handheld.
The Lab Cradle features an attachment point for a lanyard. Students can attach a lanyard to wear the Lab Cradle around their neck. This feature lets students keep their hands free to steady themselves in rough terrain during remote data collection activities.
When collecting data for an experiment that subjects the Lab Cradle to intense movement, TI recommends that students wear a Vernier Data Vest or zip-up jacket with the sensor secured both around the student’s neck as well as to the student’s chest. For example, if a student is measuring speed or motion on a roller coaster, the Lab Cradle may bounce around due to the movement of the roller coaster. Wearing a zip-up jacket or Vernier Data Vest limits the movement of the Lab Cradle.
Durability
The Lab Cradle is durable enough to withstand extensive use in the classroom and in the field. It is designed to survive being dropped from a height of 36 inches, the height of a standard lab table.
Storing/Operating Temperature Ranges
The Lab Cradle storage temperature range is between -40°C (-40° F) to 70°C (158° F).
The Lab Cradle, when used as a stand-alone data collection tool, operates in temperatures from 10° C (50° F) to 45° C (113° F).
Triggering Methods
The Lab Cradle has two options for triggering data collection—automatic or manual.
To use automatic triggering, define the criteria in the Vernier DataQuest™ application to start data collection. The Lab Cradle can trigger on either an increasing or decreasing value.
Manual triggering is defined in the Vernier DataQuest™ app. By setting the trigger delay value to zero, you can start data collection by pressing the trigger button on the Lab Cradle when using it as a stand-alone data collection tool.
You can define a delay in triggering the data collection when using the Lab Cradle with a computer or handheld. The Vernier DataQuest™ app starts a countdown based on the time delay you define. When the countdown reaches zero, the Lab Cradle and its connected sensors begin collecting data.
Multi-Channel Data Collection
You can connect up to five sensors to the Lab Cradle. It provides three analog BT connectors and two digital BT connectors.
The Lab Cradle supports multi-channel data collection by allowing you to collect data through all five sensors at the same time. When using all five sensors at the same time, the time stamp is the same for all data collection streams.
Sampling Rate
The maximum sampling rate for a Lab Cradle using a single BT sensor is 100,000 samples per second. This sampling rate allows you to collect data for high-sample sensors, such as microphones, blood pressure monitors, and hand-grip heart rate monitors.
If using more than one sensor at the same time, the 100,000 samples per second rate is divided by the number of connected sensors. For example, when using:
| • | One sensor, data is collected at 100,000. |
| • | Two sensors, data is collected at 50 kHz per sensor. |
| • | Three sensors, data is collected at 33.3 kHz per sensor. |
Some sensor’s maximum sample rates are less than the maximum sample rate of the Lab Cradle. For example, with five sensors connected to the Lab Cradle, data may be collected at 20 kHz per sensor; however, temperature sensors may only be capable of collecting data at 1 kHz so it will only collect data at that rate.